Shifting Lenses

10 years ago my family went to Lang Co, Vietnam. Sadly, the most vivid memory of the trip is that we were advised not to swim in the ocean or touch the water. This is not ideal when you are a kid at a beachfront resort on holiday. Recently, when talking to my parents about this trip, I learned more about when my beach holiday was “ruined”. Of course, the impact on me was absolutely insignificant compared to the impact on the area.

On June 30, 2016, the Taiwanese-owned Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation officially accepted responsibility for illegally discharging a lethal cocktail of industrial toxins into the ocean, which devastated 200 kilometers (125 miles) of Vietnam’s central coastline and had initially happened in April 2016.

More than 100 to 115 tons of dead fish carcasses washed up along the shores of four provinces: Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, and Thừa Thiên Huế. Over 450 hectares of coral reefs were severely damaged, with some areas suffering a 40% to 60% loss. Local divers and residents who unknowingly ate the contaminated seafood fell gravely ill, resulting in hospitalizations and an untold number of illnesses. The government suspended fishing operations and placed bans on near-shore catches, stripping the livelihoods of over 500,000 fishermen, market vendors, and tourism workers.

The idea that even in 2016, large companies believed they could get away with this and didn’t consider the impact on the human population is mind-blowing. The entire lifestyle of the region was decimated. From seafood to tourism. It is incredibly sad to think about the human suffering and hardship this single corporate decision caused.